Meimei took the opportunity to say, "Since you've already figured out a way to survive, let's do as you say, that... Gao Xin... in the game, let's stick together."
Gao Xin slightly furrowed his brow and after a moment of reflection, said, "What's the point of following me? If the negotiations go well, there won't be any need to hide."
"If the negotiations don't go well, and we still have to hide in the end, it's more dangerous for many people to hide together."
Meimei paused, opened her mouth but didn't know what to say.
Gao Xin continued, "Actually, I really want to learn some culture from someone who has studied... "
Meimei eagerly said, "Right, I can teach you."
Gao Xin said bitterly, "But after this game is over, we probably won't be able to live together. Where can I find you then?"
"Are we just going to study for an hour or two in the game? From now on, survival is crucial. We should focus on that."
Meimei had nothing to say. Indeed, after this game, they would likely go their separate ways, and how the Japanese would arrange them was still unknown.
As for studying in the game, his heart was probably too big.
"Su Lei, let's go. We've delayed a lot of time. We need to get familiar with the third and fourth floors quickly," Gao Xin said as he started to walk away.
Meimei suddenly felt wronged, "Why can he follow you? Just because he's a man? Can you look out for each other if you live together later? And I'm a woman, even if I make acquaintances, it's useless?"
"Yes, I also don't know, even if I survive this game, where will I go, what will my end be... But when you make friends, is it just for utility?"
Gao Xin didn't explain and left directly.
Just then, a group of people suddenly surged up from the stairs, blocking him and Su Lei.
"Are you done talking? That's a good plan, I didn't expect the best survival strategy for mice to be cooperating with the old cat..."
The leader was a bald man, who also brought Cao Yang and eight other newcomers in prison uniforms.
Instantly, the three were startled. This group of people had somehow crept up unnoticed and eavesdropped at the staircase.
They had been talking too long, someone should have come up by now.
Probably when they reached a crucial point, the group found it reasonable and continued to listen until now when they showed themselves.
Gao Xin smiled, "Understood? What do you think of this method?"
The bald man clapped hands and said, "I think it's good, makes sense. Let's do it this way! I am also willing to hand over a hundred redemptive tickets to the old cat for a chance to live."
"What about you guys?"
He turned back to Cao Yang and the others.
Cao Yang hurriedly said, "Of course I'm willing, as long as I can live."
The bald man said directly, "Okay, Gao Xin, right? I agree with your method, but I have a few questions."
"First, if you thought of this trick, why didn't you tell others? We are all mice tied to the same string. You let us go find hiding areas, while you hide and hoard, it's a bit mean, isn't it?"
"Isn't it more attractive to the old cat, the more mice that agree to pay the protection fee?"
"Just a few of you have agreed, and the other mice are hiding, the old cat still has to spend energy to find them, and might worry about not having enough time to finish them off under the dog's pursuit, and thus take it out on you?"
"After all, killing you, sparing you, the benefit is the same."
He looked skeptical, worried about loopholes in Gao Xin's plan, as cooperating between mice and a cat was instinctively screwed up.
Gao Xin glanced at the time; there was also a clock in the corridor of the third floor, it was already two past eight. He looked again at the eight people blocking the corridor and knew it was impossible to leave without clarifying.
He then said with a headache, "Oh, you are talking about that, didn't you think it through?"
"During the negotiations, just tell the old cat that all the mice have already agreed to pay to live, isn't that enough?"
"Why would I need to actually unite all the mice to talk? What if he doesn't agree? We all have to quickly find a place to hide? We'd probably all die..."
"Actually, just a few people need to know this method. The key point to attract the old cat to cooperate is... to make the old cat feel it's troublesome to find all the mice!"
"If really twenty mice show up for negotiations, the old cat just has to pretend to agree, wait for the time to be up, rush in and finish us all at once, wouldn't that be more convenient?"
"Don't forget, the old dog comes in ten minutes after the old cat!"
"Theoretically, the old cat just has to kill all the mice within ten minutes, or at least most of them, then he can focus on dealing with the dog..."
"No, even because there are no mice, the dog, apart from personal vengeance, actually loses the incentive to attack the cat."
The bald man was stunned, right.
Suddenly he felt a bit embarrassed; once the reason was explained, he quickly realized that gathering a bunch of mice to negotiate with the old cat was utterly foolish.
For the old cat, it was definitely still easier to kill directly, any rewards the mice could give him post-event were uncertain, what if some mice defaulted?
As small as that possibility was, still, directly killing for rewards was the most tangible.
Gao Xin's method, only a few people needed to execute it. If successful, everyone would benefit. If it failed, those who hid early would not be at a loss.
"Hmm... cough cough, then why aren't you rushing to do it? What are you still wandering here for? You can't possibly be waiting to negotiate face-to-face after the old cat can come in, right?" the bald man said.
Gao Xin said gravely, "That, of course, won't do, definitely within the last two minutes before he comes in, it's too dangerous to talk right in front of the old cat, would you dare to stand in front of the old cat and talk?"
Everyone shook their heads; who would dare to? No one was willing to do such a thing.